The Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has ordered banks in the country to apply a minimum set of 6 indicators for monitoring credit standards when granting and renegotiating loans secured by residential real estate. The aim is to preserve liquidity buffers in the banking system amidst significant credit growth, particularly in mortgages, BNB said.
The annual growth rate of mortgage loans has increased from 10.1% at the end of 2020 to 19.9% at the end of 2023, reaching a total of EUR 3 billion. Banks have not loosened the regime for granting such loans and should not do so, the central bank's report said. The total amount of deposits at the end of 2023 is EUR 73.5 billion, with the deposit growth for the last four years being more than EUR 25 billion.
Based on preliminary data, the Finance Ministry expects a deficit of around BGN 6.1 billion ( €3.11 billion), or 3% of the projected gross domestic product (GDP), at the end of 2024. "Estimates suggest that the deficit will show an improvement..
The two most sought-after currencies by Bulgarians in 2024 remain the US dollar and the euro, just as in 2023. The Turkish lira, the Romanian leu and the Serbian dinar were also very popular, followed by the British pound and the Swiss franc. This was..
The overall business climate indicator in Bulgaria has increased in December by 1.7 points from 17 percent to 18.7% compared to November . An increase in the indicator was observed in the industry sector by 1.9 points, in retail trade by 5.7 points and..
In 2024, Bulgaria's exports of goods to third countries decreased by 5.1% compared to 2023, amounting to EUR 15.4 billion (30 114.9 million BGN),..
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